Description
直感的なセッションと実力派ヴォーカル陣との共演で創り上げた、LaoluによるソウルフルなハウスEP
全作品のジャケットに亡き父の絵画作品を着想源としたアートワークを採用するレーベルSiembraから、プロデューサーのLaoluが表現力豊かなヴォーカリスト陣をフィーチャーして放つソウルフルなハウスEP。
バリ島でのギター実験から着想を得てロサンゼルスの1セッションで録音された「Mental」は、Benni Olaの力強いヴォーカルとLaoluの生み出す催眠的なグルーヴが重なり合う1曲。温かみのあるソウルフルな旋律と豊かな感情表現が見事に交差し、親密さと多幸感を併せ持つサウンドを展開している。さらに、Paul Brenningをフィーチャーした「Velvet Blooms」やタイトル曲「Mascara」で構成。過度な計算を排し、参加アーティストたちの熱量や直感をそのままレコードに封じ込めたような、タイムレスでエモーショナルな魅力に溢れる1枚。
A1. Laolu - Mascara
B1. Laolu, Paul Brenning - Velvet Blooms
B2. Laolu, Benni Ola - Mental
After a year in the making, Laolu completes his Mascara EP with the release of its final single, ‘Mental'. A beautifully instinctive collaboration with Benni Ola that captures the magic of spontaneity and creative connection.
The foundations of the track were first laid in Bali, where Laolu began experimenting with a guitar recording from another project. Drawn to Benni Ola’s unmistakable vocal energy after repeatedly playing his music, the producer immediately felt a connection between the unfinished instrumental and Benni’s voice. Months later, the pair met during a writing camp in Portugal, instantly establishing a creative chemistry that would eventually lead them to Los Angeles, where Mental was recorded in a single, fluid session.
Built around intuition and emotion rather than overthinking, the collaboration unfolded almost effortlessly. What began as a loose idea quickly transformed into a record overflowing with memorable hooks, as both artists leaned fully into the moment and trusted the energy in the room. Benni Ola described the experience as feeling “electrified” from the instant the track played, recalling the session as something almost channelled rather than consciously written. One of those rare creative moments where everything simply falls into place.
That sense of immediacy and freedom runs throughout Mental. Warm, soulful, and emotionally charged, the track balances hypnotic grooves with expressive vocal delivery, creating a record that feels both intimate and euphoric.
Together with previous singles Mascara and Velvet Blooms featuring Paul Brenning, Mental completes the ‘Mascara' EP. A rich and deeply expressive body of work that highlights Laolu’s ability to fuse emotion, groove, and collaboration into something truly timeless.
As with all releases on Siembra, the single is tied to artwork inspired by Magic Carpet - a painting by Laolu’s late father, created in Nigeria in the early 1980s. It’s a personal and cultural thread running through each release, defining the visual identity of Siembra as the label evolves.
